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The Truth about Pit Bulls

“Pit Bull.” There is no other breed of dog—or arguably, any other animal at all—whose mere mention can elicit such strong opinions. Try a word-associate game with your friends: Ask them what they think of when you say “Pit Bull.” Chances are that by the numbers, their responses will be more negative than positive. And it’s no wonder: No other type of dog is as widely banned from housing, legislated against, or incorrectly vilified by the media.

How did we get here?Pit Bulls were once widely considered ideal family pets—affectionate, loyal and gentle with children. But in recent years, these dogs have suffered tremendously from a combination of overbreeding, bad publicity and irresponsible owners. In reality, the overwhelming majority of Pits and Pit mixes are sweet goofballs who have gotten a very bad rap.

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Sophie is at least part pit bull -- I can tell by the shape of her head and jaw. She is the sweetest dog. Of course, she was born in my hands (her mom is a rescue dog. I did not know she was pregnant at the time I adopted her.) so she has never known anything but being a cherished family member. You have to be careful -- Sophie will steal your heart! She loves to play with her toys, sleep close to me in bed, roll over for tummy rubs, and give wonderful "pibble" kisses.

I propose changing the breed name to Big Goofy Dog, since it seems to describe pitties' personalities better. Maybe this would begin to change the minds of folks who haven't had contact with these great dogs and only know the negative stuff they've seen on the news.

I have two pit mixed dogs. They are wonderful. one is 10 and her name is Noelle Louise. My other one is 5 and her name is Anastasia Marie. They are very protective of me by standing next to me and barking very loudly at the other person. They have never, ever lunged at anyone. Once they get to know the person, they stop barking. My younger one is very, very frisky and always wants to play. I take them in the backyard and the older walks around but the younger grabs a ball, I throw it and she runs as fast as her legs will let her go to get the ball and brings it back to me. When she brings it back, she drops it and sits down with her tongue hanging out as if to say "throw the ball again Momma, throw the ball again!!!" Anastasia, at night, cuddles up at my feet in bed. Noelle goes to a certain spot on the sofa and that is where she is in the morning.
My dogs are treated very well and for this I am loved by them. I feel very safe, secure and comfortable with them. The love and happiness they give me is overwhelmingly wonderful.

As soon as the CDC releases data that shows otherwise, pitbull-type dogs are among the most dangerous dogs in the USA.
http://www.cdc.gov/homeandrecreationalsafety/images/dogbreeds-a.pdf

Insurance companies employ acutaries, accountants, and economists among other professionals. For some reason pitbull-type dogs are on the top of their list for dogs that they will not cover.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/cateyhill/2012/05/30/11-riskiest-dog-breeds-for-homeowners-and-renters/

And you expect people to believe that pitbull-type dogs are not a problem?

We're celebrating National Pit Bull Awareness Day with our 3rd Annual Pittie Palooza at the Mohawk Hudson Humane Society. Our program, Save-a-Bull, works to help dispel the myths about the breed and we thank you for this great blog post!

I am a dog rescuer/transport driver/advocate for all breeds, but especially pit bulls. Over the past 2 years, I have pulled 9 pit mixes from Gallia County (Ohio) animal shelter and have found homes for 8 of them. I adopted 1 myself (Sulley - my extremely handsome red pit bull) and 1 is still here with us -- until he finds his forever home. The other 7 have all been placed with amazing families that advocate for the breed by adopting and loving them. One of my former "alumni" goes to the office with mom every day; others run with their new parents and compete in races; one swims daily in the family swimming pool; others are simply gorgeous couch potatoes and grace the living room and yard. My Sulley and Roo (foster)go running with a local volunteer who exercises them for me. They are valuable and beloved members of my family. I admire all breeds, but I LOVE pitties!

Have had our precious pit bull mix for nine years. Sweetest and smartest dog we've ever had. I adore him and so does everyone that meets him. All dogs are only as good as their owner. Such a shame what bad people have done to these very bright and faithful dogs.

My Husband and I rescued two female pits, they are the most grateful, delicious creatures who only know how to love, and I truly believe they know they have been given a second chance. What needs to be done to prevent the wrong people getting them for the wrong reasons is to get the laws changed

My pitbull, Shayla, was brought into the veterinary office where I was working as a tech. The local police had brought her in to be euthanized. They found her chained to a tree @ a crack house they had raided. She had 2 broken legs and was severely burned on her back. Apparently her "owners" were trying to fight her & she wasn't mean enough, so they were pouring battery acid on her in an attempt to anger her & make her fight. Despite the horrible reputation of the pitbull and the fact that someone literally went out of their way to make her mean, Shayla is the most loving dog and shows unconditional love to everyone she meets. This is a pitbull who rightfully should hate all humans, but she doesn't. She is an absolute love and has brought me 10 years of happiness and continues to do so every single day.

My PitBulls, Rex & Jewel have been the best dogs I have ever owned. They have never bitten or have been aggressive toward anyone. They've learned commands very quickly. They can do tricks. They are very smart or intelligent! We have a mutual love for each other! They each have their own quirks. Jewel doesn't like it when I put a piece of candy in my mouth, so she will go in another room & Rex doesn't like YouTube & he'll go in another room. Jewel doesn't like the vacuum cleaner, but Rex thinks it's a toy! Etc etc etc Theres alot of negative news articles & people blogging about these wonderful pets, but I always give my good opinion about PitBulls!!

My Strider is half American Stafforshire/half Australian Shepherd mix, and is the goofiest, gentlest, and sweetest dog we've ever had the pleasure to share our lives with. Nothing makes him happier than us walking through the door at the end of the day, giving him a belly rub, or giving him a plastic water bottle to crunch. He could be a little better behaved on our walks, but I think most of his problems are because he's picked up some bad behavior from our other dog that is a Harrier mix (beagle on steroids). He thinks he's a lap dog, and doesn't understand why we are constantly needing to shift from under his weight. He's wonderful with our two cats, although he thinks they shoudl play with him more. We love him so much, and couldn't ask for a better companion.